“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Exodus 20:16
Scripture Reading: Proverbs 6:12-19
Memory Verse: Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. Ephesians 4:29
Introduction:
A witness is one who is supposed to have first-hand knowledge and who can testify concerning an event. To be of any value in helping arrive at proper conclusions, witnesses must tell the truth. In court today witnesses are asked to promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. This is no more than God requires of us.
This emphasis on truth is why in the law of Moses it took at least two witnesses to condemn someone of a capital offense (Deuteronomy 17:6-7). A person could not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. A second safeguard against a false witness was that the hands of the witnesses were to be the ones to cast the first stone. If they were false witnesses and it was found out that an innocent person was killed, then the law would consider them murderers. Also, once the false witness is found to be a liar, the same punishment of death would be upon them (Deuteronomy 19:18-19). This demonstrates how important truthfulness was to the Israelite community.
What are the motivations for being a false witness? Think about Satan and the lies he told to Eve. What was his motivation? People have a variety of motives for being deceitful. It might be because of selfishness, because of embarrassment, for money, to not offend people, or to save face. Our motivation to lie might even be out of fear. But the Bible says that God will honor those who honor Him. Sin is a reproach against God. “Righteousness exalts a nation” (Proverbs 14:34).
What are some ways we bear false witness? We can commit perjury in a courtroom. We can lie by exaggeration. We can lie by flattery. We can lie by creating false impressions or by not correcting false statements. We can allow lies to stand by carelessness or by careless talk. We can lie by spreading rumors that we know are untrue or haven’t been verified.
Notice which of the things mentioned in Proverbs 6:16-19 God hates the most. First, it reads that there are six things the LORD hates, then it says there are seven that are an abomination. We see, however, that the LORD hated lies so badly that it is repeated. A false witness is a lying witness. Bearing false witness was one of the greatest of all the things God hates. How do we measure up in this area?
Lesson Questions:
- How do we know that God does not lie? Numbers 23:19; Malachi 3:6; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18; James 1:17. How does God’s truthfulness encourage you to be more truthful?
- Why is Satan called the “father of lies”? John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 11:3
- Look at the following examples of liars in the Bible. What were their motivations for their deceit?
- Cain – when God asked him, “Where is Abel, your brother?” Genesis 4:9
- Abraham – when he lied to Abimelech that Sarah was his sister. Genesis 20:2-4, 10-12
- Rahab – when she hid the spies and lied about it. Joshua 2:2-4, 8-12
- Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, – when he asked for payment from Naaman for God healing him through Elisha. 2 Kings 5:20-27
- Ananias and Sapphira – when they lied about giving all the proceeds from the sale of a property to the apostles. Acts 5:1-10
- Explain how the ninth commandment fits in with the commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Romans 13:8-10
- Why do we tolerate white lies, such as exaggeration or even by staying silent, more than outright mistruths? Does the commandment intend to distinguish between the two? Ephesians 4:25; Colossians 3:9
- How can slander or gossip bear a false witness? Proverbs 11:13; Proverbs 17:9; Proverbs 26:20
- Discuss what is said about false witnesses in Proverbs 12:17 and 14:5.
- What are the seven things that the Lord sees as an abomination? Proverbs 6:16-19